Bill Harris, QMI Agency

It was in an episode of 30 Rock last spring that Tina Fey's Liz Lemon was trying to convince her then-boyfriend of her commitment to their relationship.

"Hey, I don't bail," Lemon said. "I'm still watching Smash."

With that great line still ringing in my ears, it was an interesting study in mood, tone, outlook and even body language to compare the appearances - last year and this year - by the cast and producers of Smash at the Television Critics Association tour.

A year ago, everyone associated with Smash was bubbly.

While no one really knew how big the show was going to be, given that it's a genre show about the making of Broadway musicals, the feeling nonetheless was that is was going to be "pretty big."

This week, the cast and producers of Smash were, shall we say, more realistic. The series returns for its second season Feb. 5 on NBC and CTV Two.

Smash was not a runaway hit. No one would have been shocked had it been cancelled.